Online $2/4: Raise the turn? Bet the river?

Ten-handed $2/4 table at Paradise, everyone folds to me on the button, and I open with a steal-raise holding Kh3h.


Small blind stalls for a while, then re-raises. Big blind folds. I call, and flop brings:


9-3-2, rainbow but with one heart.


Small blind bets out, I call.


Turn 4 and the second heart.


Small blind bets out, is this an automatic as either a semi-bluff or possible best hand; raise for value?


I raised the turn, and only got called.


River pairs the fours and of course no heart. Small blind checks to me. Bet for value?


Results to follow.


lars

I like the way you have played this hand so far and it indicates to me that you should be playing higher.


At the river, you have a pair to show down. I don't think a better hand will fold since your opponent has stayed with you this far. If he was on a busted draw, he probably won't call with a worse hand. I would check it down.

Thanks for the nice words Jim. I've had a fairly long break from online poker, not for poker reasons, simply because I have been moving and haven't had access to the internet for a couple of weeks, and what I find is that a break probably did my poker game a world of good, and I feel really good about my game at the time. But backs to what matters...


I check, and he shows me AA. So we agreed pretty much on how this hand should be played. Small blind was also stalling a tad bit when making his move on the river too, indicating to me that he was seriously thinking of value betting something excactly like what he held. However, he may also have considered something of a 'desperation bet' with a holding like AK (or make that SPECIFICALLY AK), which he would also pay off a bet with on the river having called the raise on the turn.


In my opponent's case, should he bet out on the river?


lars

He did not bet the river because you raised him on the turn when the four came off so he was worried that the four helped you somehow. When the four pairs on the river, he is still concerned. I think his check at the river was correct. He minimizes his loss when you have a better hand and he might induce you to bet on the end with a worse hand. Well played by both of you.

I think what made him consider a bet on the river (because it seemed as though he did), was the fact that the board paired. With Aces, people like to give a bit more action if the board pairs low, and especially if a running pair shows up. What Four could I have been holding that I could raise pre-flop, and call the flop bet with after being three-betted pre-flop?


But I understand you reasoning, and I think he would bet if the board paired a Deuce or a Trey instead (happily for me). It must be close, as beating low-limit Hold'em is all about punishing people for playing weak hands and going to far with them, and particularly correct river bets are extremely important in this game.


By betting the river, he might not even be raised by a timid player holding an A5 or 65 straight (although I would), and if raised he must pay off, and he will still be good a considerable amount of times against;

a) a desperate bluff.

b) an over-played strong Nine or anything else an opponent might think is not a bluff but obviously over-played if he can't beat Aces up.

c) and KK and QQ (particularly the latter), which is very close to be a correct raise on the river here, as it's pretty obvious SB doesn't have the strongest of holdings here (albeit, in this case, better than these hands), and I would probably not run the risk of getting re-raised here.


lars